Broken Hebrew
by transmuting
Summary: After their first time making love, Tony lies in bed and thinks.  Tony/Ziva. Fluffy fluff fluff.


Tony closed his eyes as he tried to regain his breath. His body felt an odd combination of completely energized and absolutely exhausted. He struggled to stay awake, yet couldn't have found the full ability to rest peacefully if he tried. He felt a layer of sweat on his skin and every muscle in his body felt completely and utterly relaxed. He pressed his head back against the pillow, biting his lip, and finally forcing his body to move enough so that he could wrap his arm around Ziva, opening his eyes to stare at her in silence.

He could feel her skin warm and hot against his own. She was still panting as well, her face buried in the crook of her arm. Her hair was a frizzy, curling mess with pieces dampened and clinging to her back. He smiled tiredly, leaning down to place a gentle kiss against her neck. It was an instinctive action, a desire to maintain the closeness the two of them had just felt with one another for the passed... Fuck if he could remember. It had felt like hours, but maybe it had only been one - or maybe even less then. Time had stopped having meaning the moment they'd decided to go beyond kissing. He'd lost all sense of things when she'd unzipped his fly.

As reality started to sink in, however, Tony was starting to feel that edge of panic in the pit of his stomach. She was still rested against him, calm as could be, or at least appearing like she was. His mind had started to rush with thoughts and fears. This was definitely in violation of Rule Number Twelve, a rule he knew Gibbs had held dear to heart for far too long. The thought of disappointing his boss once again made the relaxation of post-coitus glow quickly start to disappear. It wasn't like he could hide it from him; Gibbs knew everything. He'd probably know what was up the moment he stepped out of the elevator.

Hell, he probably knew what was going on right this second.

The feelings running through his heart weren't ones that would keep him particularly calm either. Thoughts of contentment, of happiness that he hadn't had since he was with Jeanne. Thoughts of love and other large, intimidating, even frightening words. Had he really found that feeling again? That experience he'd been so sure he'd lost forever? He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, terrified not only of losing it, but of who he had found it with. His partner. The one woman he had been told time and time again that he wasn't supposed to want.

Never date a coworker. Since when had four words been so complicated and hard to follow?

The tension in his body hadn't gone unnoticed. Ziva had begun to roll over, resting quietly against his shoulder and placing a hand on his chest. He was pulled out of his thoughts by the feeling of her fingers brushing through the hair on his chest, nails gently scratching over the skin. She was staring at him, a look he couldn't quite decipher hiding in her eyes.

"You are unusually quiet," she muttered, trying her best to sound amused. There was an air of satisfaction in her voice mixed with the slightest bit of worry.

Tony managed to force a small smile, shrugging. "Nothing to say." It was at least honest. He didn't want to put a single thought in his head out onto the table in front of them. It was too much too soon. Thankfully, she nodded, going to lay her head down again and staring ahead of them, off into space. The silence hovered for a while, only broken when she let out a small sigh.

"Are you regretting it?"

The words were heavier in his ears than he had expected them to be and he quickly shook his head, turning so that he could look at her. The shifting of his body caused her to move as well, rolling fully onto her side and resting her body weight on her elbow. She pulled the sheet up, covering herself, and Tony couldn't help but note how vulnerable she looked right then.

"No. God, no, Ziva," he said with as much earnest as possible. He placed his hand at her neck, gently leaning in and pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. He lingered for a moment, only pulling back when he was sure it had shown just how much he cared. Just how much he could never regret what they'd done together.

She smiled softly, nodding. "Good. I was worried, what with Gibbs..."

He inwardly kicked himself for stiffening again at the mention. He couldn't stop himself from being terrified of what Gibbs would say. No matter how hard her tried. She sighed at his tension, going to place a hand on Tony's face, her eyes searching his for a moment.

"Do you really think he does not already know?"

"Know what?" He tried to play dumb.

"About you. And me. Us. The way we..." She trailed off, before finishing with caution; "Feel."

He swallowed, narrowing his eyes just slightly in a faux-curiosity. "And how do we 'feel', Agent David?"

She sighed, shaking her head. Her hand slid away from his cheek and she went to lay back down, placing her arm underneath the pillow as she settled back against it. "If you need me to be the one to say it, you are not ready to hear."

"That was one hell of a cop out, Mr. Miyagi."

They were back to silence again. She'd closed her eyes, relaxing again, breathing deeply. He wondered how close she was to being on the verge of sleep. He watched as her bare chest rose and fell, admiring the smoothness of her skin, the way it glowed softly in the moonlight that poured in through the window. He smiled at the way her hair framed her face, still an absolute mess - wild and untamed, just the way he liked it. He reached forward to brush some out of the center of her face, trying not to chuckle as she wrinkled her nose. He let the time slip away, wrapped up in memorizing the curves of her body and the way it reacted in a battle against sleep it could never win. He saw each muscle twitch, each flutter of her eyelid, each time her tongue darted out to lick her lips. He watched her shift and turn, trying to find the perfect position and spot on the bed for ultimate comfort.

He watched and he felt his fears slipping away. His insecurities and his worries. The pounding in his heart had slowed, his palms no longer sweaty. His body was relaxed again. He could feel that familiar afterglow of a good round of sex still coursing through his veins. His heart was light. His mind was spinning. His lips twitched in a contented smile.

Leaning down, he went to place a kiss against her temple.

"Ani ohevet otcha," he muttered in broken Hebrew. He heard her chuckle softly, scootching back until her back was lined against his torso.

"I love you, too, Tony."

[ AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yes, I am aware he said the masculine and not the feminine version of I love you in Hebrew. That is the point. That is why Ziva laughed. ]


End file.
